BEIJING, Oct. 30, 2017 -- Juvenile delinquency has declined in China while fewer students drop out of primary or junior middle school, government data showed Friday.

In 2016, the number of juvenile criminals in China stood at 35,743, a 47.6 percent decrease from 2010, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Of all the criminals convicted last year, only 2.9 percent were under the age of 18, down 3.8 percentage points from six years ago, NBS data revealed.

In terms of education, in 2016, only 6.6 percent of students dropped out of school during the nine years of compulsory education, compared with 8.9 percent in 2010.

China provides nine years of free and compulsory education, including six years of primary education and three years of junior middle school, and wants to reduce the percentage of students who drop out of school during the nine-year period to less than 5 percent by 2020.

Gross enrollment rate in senior high school reached 87.5 percent in 2016, up from 82.5 percent in 2010, said the NBS.

By the end of last year, China had about 460,000 orphans, 42,000 less than a year ago, the report said.